10-man Wolves stuns Southampton with amazing comeback win

By Feb 11, 2023, 12:12 PM EST
0 Comments

10-man Wolves pulled off a stunning comeback win as they played down a man for over an hour and still beat Southampton 2-1.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

Southampton took the lead in the first half through Carlos Alcaraz and were given a further boost as Mario Lemina was sent off for Wolves. But a stirring second half comeback saw Jan Bednarek forced into an own goal and then Joao Gomes scored a beauty on his debut to win it late on.

Nathan Jones has now lost seven of his eight Premier League games in charge and he could be fired as Southampton’s manager as they sit rock bottom of the table and are on 15 points from 22 games.

Julen Lopetegui is working wonders at Wolves as they they made it back-to-back wins and move further away from the relegation zone as they have 23 points.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

Premier League news

Premier League table
Premier League table, 2022-23 season
Premier League
Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions
Premier League
Premier League top four race: Current form, key fixtures, odds, predictions

Surely this is the end for Nathan Jones

The way Southampton collapsed in the second half was embarrassing and in a season of incredible lows for the team who sit rock bottom of the Premier League, this was the lowest point. 1-0 up at home with 17 minutes to go, playing against 10 men for most of the game, Saints shrunk and Wolves’ equalizer was coming. Southampton never recovered from that and it looked like they were playing with 10 men in the second half. Nathan Jones had to change the tactics and the personnel but he didn’t. He let Wolves get back in the game and this defeat was surely the end for him as a Premier League manager. After four months, it is not working. Saints somehow still have a chance of saving themselves this season but they have to act now. Jones has to go and somebody with new ideas has to come in. It is the only chance they have. If Jones stays they are going down to the Championship for the first time in over a decade. It is as simple as that.

Asked by journalists in his press conference after the game if that was his last game in charge of Southampton, this was what Nathan Jones said: “I have no idea.” Saints fans will concur with that assessment.

Stars of the show

Kamaldeen Sulemana: Electric first start as all of Southampton’s good play came through him.

Ruben Neves: Bossed midfield even down a man and made sure Wolves never gave up hope.

Adama Traore: Changed the game when he came on at half time as he gave Wolves an outlet.

Southampton vs Wolves
Graphic via FotMob.com

What’s next?

Southampton travel to Chelsea on Saturday, Feb. 18, while Wolves host Bournemouth on the same day.

How to watch Southampton vs Wolves live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 10am ET, Saturday
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com

FULL TIME: Southampton 1-2 Wolves – An incredible, unbelievable collapse from Southampton.

GOALLLL! Wolves go 2-1 up. Joao Gomes with his first goal. Incredible drama. Wolves have done it. Southampton distraught.

Less than 10 minutes to go. Can either team find a winner? Southampton look totally lacking in confidence. They are all over the place and you would think they are the team with 10 men.

GOALLLL! Oh no, a terrible own goal from Jan Bednarek. 1-1. Wolves had been pushing for an equalizer. 10-man Wolves looking the more likely to get the winner.

Sulemana sends a diving header wide. Saints are back on top.

CHANCE! Kamaldeen Sulemana with a glorious chance to make it 2-0 but Jose Sa denies him. The ball back to Sa was short and Sulemana was in but Sa did just enough to claw the ball away from the Ghanian forward. What a chance for Saints and moments later Paul Onuachu goes down in the box but no penalty is given. Lovely turn from the big man.

We are back underway in the second half and Wolves are doing okay. They have brought on Adama Traore and are trying to find him out wide early and often.

HALF TIME: Southampton 1-0 Wolves – Saints are ahead thanks to that lovely strike from Alcaraz and Wolves are up against it after Lemina’s red card.

CLOSE! Jan Bednarek has a shot deflected over. Saints causing problems when they go long to Paul Onuachu.

Wolves have settled down after the red card and look dangerous when they go long. Cunha flashes a shot just over from a tight angle.

RED CARD! Former Southampton player Mario Lemina, who has just signed for Wolves, has been sent off on his return to St Mary’s! After just 27 minutes he picked up two yellow cards. Second yellow for dissent. Wolves down to 10 men and 1-0 down. Incredible opportunity for Southampton, this.

GOALLLLL! Charly Alcaraz with a beautiful strike for Southampton. His first Premier League goal. What a moment for the young Argentine midfielder. Nathan Jones celebrates by crouching down and bowing his head to the floor. Saints have started superbly and they’re 1-0 up!

Decent start for the hosts. Wolves are keeping the ball a bit better now. Sulemana looks a real player. Incredible pace as he runs past several Wolves players and wins a corner.

CLOSE! Romain Perraud’s low shot is blocked by Craig Dawson after good work from Sulemana on the right as he ran towards goal and picked out Perraud. That has the home fans up and excited.

KICK OFF! We are underway at St Mary’s and the home fans are trying to generate a good atmosphere. This will be a nervy day for the hosts.

Key storylines & in-form players to watch

Saints are in freefall and if they lose this game it feels like Nathan Jones will lose his job. The Welsh coach went on a bizarre rant following their shellacking at Brentford and said he has pandered to others and hasn’t done his job properly ever since he arrived at Southampton in November. The owners are backing him, for now, but in midweek they admitted results have to improve. After spending big on deadline day to bring in forwards Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana, now is the time for Southampton to drag themselves off the bottom. If not, they could have a third manager of the season very soon.

Wolves were brilliant against Liverpool and have found a great system for the players they have with the 4-4-2 working wonders. Lopetegui is famed for having a solid foundation defensively but the big change has been Wolves being much better on the counter and finally finishing off chances. After bringing in Sarabia, Cunha, Lemina and Dawson in January they have added experience and quality in key areas and it seems to have given the entire club a lift.

Southampton team news, injuries, lineup

Kyle Walker-Peters is out after a recent hamstring issue, while Alex McCarthy remains out and Valentino Livramento and Juan Larios are also missing. New signings Onuachu and Sulemana start, while Nathan Jones has favored a 3-5-2 formation in recent weeks and he persists with that despite fan unrest towards his tactics.

Wolves team news, injuries, lineup

Chiquinho, Sasa Kalajdzic and Boubacar Traore remain out, while Pedro Neto returns to the squad. Mario Lemina starts against his former team, while Hwang Hee-chan is out after suffering a thigh injury so Joao Moutinho comes in for him.

Latest USMNT news

USMNT
Player ratings: USMNT thumps Grenada in Nations League
Grenada vs USMNT live
USMNT kicks off 2026 World Cup cycle with 7-1 win in Grenada
USMNT schedule
USMNT upcoming schedule – Nations League, friendlies, Gold Cup

 

Player ratings: USMNT thumps Grenada in Nations League

By Mar 25, 2023, 6:12 AM EDT
0 Comments

The USMNT kicked off the 2026 World Cup cycle as the Yanks reconvened (the first team, at least) for the first time since the 2022 tournament in Qatar, in a 7-1 victory Grenada on Friday.

[ MORE: Folarin Balogun to USMNT? “It’s something that will come to me” ]

Who stood out (for better and for worse) as the USMNT thumped Grenada?

USMNT player ratings vs Grenada

GK – Matt Turner: 6 – Faced just three shots on target (0.36 xG), made two saves and watched helplessly as a screamer from outside the box hit the back of the net.

RB – Bryan Reynolds: 6.5 – The USMNT focused the vast majority of its attacking play down the left side of the field, making Reynolds the target of a handful of cross-field switches as he played the full 90 minutes.

CB – Mark McKenzie: 7 – Teamed up with his former center back partner from his Philadelphia Union days, McKenzie was tasked with being the far and away the senior figure and leader of the defense on Friday (his 10 caps were four more than the rest of the back-four combined).

CB – Auston Trusty: 7 – A solid performance in his USMNT debut for the 24-year-old Arsenal defender (on loan to Birmingham City, where he has appeared in 37 games in the Championship thus far). With nearly 70 percent of possession on the night, there aren’t many better opportunities to get your feet wet at the senior international level.

LB – Joe Scally: 7.5 – Do not get overly excited about a 20-year-old’s performance against Grenada. I repeat, do not get overly excited about a 20-year-old’s performance against Grenada. That said, does the USMNT have… two left backs?

Latest USMNT news

Grenada vs USMNT live
USMNT kicks off 2026 World Cup cycle with 7-1 win in Grenada
USMNT schedule
USMNT upcoming schedule – Nations League, friendlies, Gold Cup
USMNT
Three key questions for USMNT in March

DM – Luca de la Torre: 7 – It would be unwise to assign too much value to a game that finished 7-1 against the no. 173-ranked nation in the world, but one thing is for certain and has been proven on a number of occasions: LdlT is a smooth operator as a ball-playing defensive midfielder, and he showed himself quite capable further up the field, in and around the opposing penalty area, on Friday as well.

CM – Weston McKennie: 8 – Two goals (both off of free kicks) for the newly acquired Leeds midfielder, which would be an incredibly welcome development for a side that hasn’t made enough of its set pieces in recent times.

CM – Gio Reyna: 6.5 – This was the solid, if unspectacular, return that Reyna needed after weeks of off-field controversy surround himself, his family and former (but perhaps future) head coach Gregg Berhalter. There were plenty of fireworks elsewhere in the team on Friday, and Reyna managed to come through the game unscathed.

RW – Brenden Aaronson: 7 – It’s been a tough first season in the Premier League for Aaronson, so his first-half goal will hopefully provide a much-needed boost in confidence (his first goal, for club or country, in any competition, since Aug. 21, his third game for Leeds).

CF – Ricardo Pepi: 8 – Aside from scoring the opening goal, Pepi was active and involved in much of what the USMNT tried to do going forward in the first half. Given how deep Grenada sat defensively to begin the game, the Yanks could have taken the easy way out — staying wide and crossing the ball repeatedly — every time down the field, but there appeared to be a concerted effort to combine through the middle of the field, which meant Pepi had to be sharp and quick with his movement to create space for Reyna, Aaronson and Christian Pulisic. Speaking of building confidence, how about the finish for his second goal…

LW – Christian Pulisic: 8 – Ho hum. Just a one-goal, two-assist performance from Pulisic. As previously discussed, the USMNT found infinite joy down the left side of attack and Pulisic was at the center of most of it (for 64 minutes, at least).

Follow @AndyEdMLS

Premier League table, 2022-23 season

By Mar 25, 2023, 6:10 AM EDT
1 Comment

If it’s the 2022-23 Premier League table you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

After the break for the 2022 World Cup, the Premier League returned with a bang and the start to 2023 has delivered plenty of fun.

Now we are approaching the final few months of the campaign, it is so tight up and down the Premier League table.

Latest Premier League news

Premier League
Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions
Premier League
Premier League top four race: Current form, key fixtures, odds, predictions
Arsenal
Arsenal title tracker – What do Gunners need to win the Premier League?

Who’s looking like title contenders and/or favorites?

As we head into the final months of the 2022-23 season, Arsenal and Manchester City are looking head and shoulders above the rest and although Manchester United briefly surged into the picture, they look more likely to cement their spot as the third best team in the Premier League.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] 

The Gunners will have their hands full for the duration of their title challenge, as Erling Haaland continues to take the Premier League by storm with an almost impossible goal-scoring record.

What about the top four and European places?

Uneven Tottenham are hanging in the top four battle and for the moment have hunted down Newcastle, while Liverpool is back in the Champions League picture after their return to form and Chelsea looks like a top six finish is their ceiling. For now.

Surprising Fulham, Brentford, and Brighton are all hanging around on the periphery with fine campaigns. Can one of them surprise and qualify for Europe?

Who are the candidates for relegation?

Southampton, West Ham, and Bournemouth currently occupy the relegation places but that keeps changing all the time and it is so tight at the bottom of the table.

Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Wolves, Leeds, Everton and Crystal Palace all find themselves within a few points of the bottom three as the race to stay in the Premier League intensifies. This could be the craziest relegation scrap in Premier League history.

Below you will find the latest Premier League table.

Premier League table – March 19

Premier League standings

NBC Sports’ standings and scoreboard


Follow @AndyEdMLS

England vs Ukraine: How to watch live, team news, updates

By Mar 25, 2023, 6:10 AM EDT
0 Comments

England host Ukraine in a UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier at Wembley with an extremely emotional atmosphere expected in London.

[ LIVE: EURO 2024 qualifying scores – England vs Ukraine ]

As the war rages on across Ukraine following the Russia invasion just over a year ago, the United Kingdom have been one of Ukraine’s key partners in the fight against Russian forces.

The English Football Association have given away close to 1,000 free tickets to Ukrainians who were forced to flee their country and resettle with families in the UK. Over 4,200 Ukraine fans will be in the away end at Wembley amid a sea of blue and yellow and you can expect plenty of mutual respect and support from fans of both countries towards each other. This match is Ukraine’s first of 2023, as they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup after losing to Wales in a playoff last summer.

[ MORE: Full EURO 2024 qualifying schedule, standings ]

England beat Italy 2-1 in Naples on Thursday as Harry Kane became their all-time leading goalscorer with his 54th goal for the Three Lions and they held on after going 2-0 up as Luke Shaw’s red card with 10 minutes to go complicated matters. Gareth Southgate’s young side are developing but will they be able to finally win a major tournament?

They have to qualify for the Euros in Germany next summer first, but a first win away in Italy since 1961 was a great start to this qualifying campaign.

Here’s everything you need for England vs Ukraine.

Latest USMNT news

USMNT
Player ratings: USMNT thumps Grenada in Nations League
Grenada vs USMNT live
USMNT kicks off 2026 World Cup cycle with 7-1 win in Grenada
USMNT schedule
USMNT upcoming schedule – Nations League, friendlies, Gold Cup

How to watch England vs Ukraine live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 12pm ET, Sunday (March 26)
Updates: Via NBCSports.com
Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London
TV: FS1

Key storylines, in-form players

The last time this nations met England ran out 4-0 winners in the quarterfinals of EURO 2020. They will be the heavy favorites in this game but Ukraine should not be underestimate as the No. 26 ranked team in the world have the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykhailo Mudryk and Vitalii Mykolenko all playing in the Premier League.

England’s forwards ran riot in the first half against Italy with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka sensational, plus Jude Bellingham’s driving runs from midfield give this Three Lions side an extra dimension. There is more creativity and cutting edge about this England side compared to recent years and it feels like they are ready to win something. There will be a ceremony before this game to honor Harry Kane becoming England’s all-time goalscorer as he passed Wayne Rooney with his goal in Italy on Thursday.

England team news, lineup options

Luke Shaw will be suspended for this game after his red card in Italy, so Kieran Trippier or Ben Chilwell will come in at left back. It is likely Jordan Henderson will come in for Kalvin Phillips in midfield, while Phil Foden could start over Jack Grealish out wide. Reece James and Conor Gallagher could also come into the team as Bellingham limped off towards the end of England’s win against Italy.

Ukraine team news, lineup options

Andriy Yarmolenko (three goals away from equalling Andriy Shevchenko as Ukraine’s all-time leading scorer) has been struggling with a hamstring injury so he may start on the bench, while Bournemouth’s Ilya Zabarnyi and Shakhtar’s Oleksandr Zubkov are both out. Yevhen Konoplyanka and Roman Yaremchuk offer real quality in attack, while Zinchenko is the heartbeat of this Ukraine side.

USMNT kicks off 2026 World Cup cycle with 7-1 win in Grenada

By Mar 25, 2023, 6:10 AM EDT
0 Comments

The USMNT scored early and often, as they cruised to a 7-1 victory over Grenada in CONCACAF Nations League action in St. George’s on Friday.

[ MORE: Folarin Balogun to USMNT? “It’s something that will come to me” ]

The victory puts the USMNT (7 points) atop Group D with one game left to play, against El Salvador (5 points – 2nd place) on Monday.

The Yanks got on the board in the 4th minute, and it was a sensational cross from Christian Pulisic which found Ricardo Pepi atop the six-yard box. Pepi used the considerable pace on Pulisic’s cross to head the ball down and out of goalkeeper Jason Belfon’s reach.

Brenden Aaronson made it 2-0 in the 21st minute, as the Leeds attacked received the ball atop the 18-yard box, turned into open space and cut inside before firing a right-footed finish hard and low to the near post.

Weston McKennie made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark, as he smashed an off-balance, left-footed volley home after his initial header on Pulisic’s free kick was blocked. Two minutes after Myles Hippolyte fired a laser past Matt Turner (a minute later McKennie’s first goal), the recently acquired Leeds midfielder struck again to make it 4-1, applying the final touch after Auston Trusty headed the ball down after another free kick from Pulisic.

[ MORE: Three key questions for USMNT in March ]

The USMNT jumped on Grenada just as quickly when the second half began, with Pulisic putting his name on the scoresheet in the 49th minute. Luca de la Torre found Pulisic cutting in from the left wing, and the ball somehow found its way past Belfon for 5-1.

Four minutes later, De la Torre played a slightly trickier through ball to spring Pepi in behind the Grenadine defense, and Pepi made no mistake with his one-on-one chance against Belfon. Pepi, who is currently on loan to Gronigen from Augsburg, waited for the goalkeeper to go down one way and coolly slotted the ball the other way.

Alejandro Zendejas, who recently elected to represent the USMNT internationally, became cap-tied to the USMNT when he came off the bench in the 64th minute. Eight minutes later, the 25-year-old winger got his first senior international goal.

Latest Premier League news

Premier League table
Premier League table, 2022-23 season
Premier League
Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions
Premier League
Premier League top four race: Current form, key fixtures, odds, predictions

Start of a new World Cup cycle = a clean slate

For all intents and purposes, the USMNT kicked off the 2026 World Cup cycle on Friday, with the first team reconvening for the first time since the 2022 tournament in Qatar. A new World Cup cycle means brand new opportunities for new players, and a fresh start for those who didn’t get the starts or appearances that they thought they should have.

The net will be cast far and wide as the rest of 2023 sees the USMNT (likely) head to the finals of the Nations League and then the Gold Cup, with a handful of players seemingly coming from out of nowhere to claim consistent call-ups ahead of Copa America 2024 (on U.S. soil once again). There will be even more opportunities than usual for fringe players to make a case, with the Yanks automatically qualifying for the 2026 tournament as hosts.

What’s next?

The USMNT will host El Salvador in a winner-take-all Group D finale on Monday (7:30 pm ET), at Exploria Stadium in Orlando. The group winner will qualify for the finals (four teams) of the 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League (June 15-18) as well as the 2023 Gold Cup (June 24-July 16); the group runners-up will also qualify for this summer’s Gold Cup.

Follow @AndyEdMLS

How to watch Grenada vs USMNT live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 8pm ET, Friday (March 24)
Stadium: Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George’s
TV in English: TNT
TV/streaming en Español: Universo/Peacock

[ LIVE: CONCACAF Nations League scores – Grenada vs USMNT ]

USMNT squad

Goalkeepers (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

Defenders (8): Sergino Dest (AC Milan), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Tim Ream (Fulham), Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Birmingham City)

Midfielders (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Leeds United), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Alan Sonora (Juarez), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ Alkmaar)

Forwards (6): Taylor Booth (Utrecht), Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America)

EDIT: Tim Weah (Lille) was originally called up, but exited due to a head injury.

Follow @AndyEdMLS